Fingernail polish mask



March 2, 1954 s LU| 2,670,745

I FINGERNAIL POLISH MASK Filed June 2, 1952 INVENTOR.

H-ENRY S. K. L u| ATTQRNEYS Patented Mar. 2, 1954 Q/PATENT o Fl NqERN-A iL POLISH MASK HenryIS-L KQLui, San Francisco, Calif. "'--ihiplicatioii linie 2, 1952, Serial Nb. 291,117

Thepresent invention relates to improvements in a finger nail polish mask; whichjis adapted for use during the manicuring'ofamindividuals nails. It consists of the constructions and arrangements of'the mask hereinafter described and claimed.

An object of this invention isto-provide a mask of the character de'scribedfwhich may be applied readily over theprojectingforward tip of a finger nail-to mask part of the latter, and thus leave an unpainted border extendingalong the, nail tip when liquid polish is applied to the nail. Moreover, the mask is adapted to be employed as a guide when trimming the finger nail.

As a still further object, it is proposed to provide a mask that will leave a carefully defined finish line when the polish material is applied to the finger nail. The desired unpainted border of the nail tip can be had in a short time and with great facility. The mask is intended to supplant makeshift arrangements, such as corners of napkins that often are used for removing surplus polish to leave a natural-colored border at the finger tip.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the specification continues. The novel features of the invention will be set forth in the claims hereunto appended.

Drawings For a better understanding of the invention, reference should be had to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this application, in which:

Figure 1 is an enlarged top plan view of the forward end of an individual finger and nail, disclosing my mask applied thereto in operative position, with an exposed part of the nail painted with liquid polish;

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken along the line II--II of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a rear elevational view of the mask per se, as seen from the transverse plane IIIIII of Figure 1.

While I have shown only the preferred form of my invention, it should be understood that various changes, or modifications, may be made within the scope of the annexed claims without departing from the spirit thereof.

Detailed description Referring to Figures 1 and 2, I have shown a portion of an individuals finger A having a nail B thereon. The forward end of this nail projects beyond the tip ID of the finger in the usual way.

It will be appreciated, of course, that the finger" -2-Claims. (0!.{132-885) and .itsr nail r have been greatly". enlarged 1 in- :the drawings so that thedetails of my mask Cv in'relation to the mail will be apparent. i In its structural details, themask'i'nclude .a flexible member havingupper andelowera'porz- .tionsCl and C2,.which are arranged in spaced-.- apart relation witheach other'. These; portions are joined together attheirylateral edges bye -rein;- .forcements l i-l l -.to,. provideaeunitaryvstructure that defines a slot I:2. -:-extending lengthwise through the member. *1:- :r" This memberissufiicientlygflexibleithatrit will conform to the longitudinal and transverse curvature of the nail when it is telescoped over the nail, with the latter projecting through the slot l2. In applying the member to the nail, it will be found convenient to grasp the reinforcements lI-ll when sliding the member over the nail.

Turning to Figure 2, the upper and lower portions Cl and C2 are adapted to be positioned above and below the nail B, respectively. The lower portion C2 is fashioned with a concaved rear edge 14 arranged to abut the tip of the finger immediately underneath the nail to limit rearward telescoping of the member over the nail when the upper portion Cl reaches a predetermined position on the nail, as in Figures 1 and 2. At this time a forward tip section Bl will project ahead of the portions (ll-C2.

The upper portion of the mask has a horizontally-extending crescent-shaped rear edge l5 adapted to grip the upper surface of the finger nail B, and serve as a barrier when liquid polish I6 is applied to the exposed surface of the nail in back of the applied member. This will leave a smooth finish line on the nail.

Furthermore, this rear edge l5 of the upper portion Cl is curved vertically, as clearly shown in Figure 2, to present a feathering rim sloping away from the upper surface of the nail. This feather edge is preferable to a thick edge to prevent or reduce the polish material from being deposited on the rim just mentioned. The feather edge [5 will mold itself about the inserted finger nail and retain its natural shape; and, also, will act as a guide when the nail is painted. It will leave a carefully defined finish line at the forward end of the painted area. This may be accomplished in a short time with great rapidity. The mask may be made of a resilient material that will stretch about the nail. For instance, semi-soft plastic or rubber may be utilized, and this material is adapted for cleaning and repeated applications on nails.

It will be quite apparent that the I forward tip portion Bl of the nail, and that part of the nail embraced by the portions C|-C2 may be left unpainted to produce a natural color on the nail ahead of the area painted by the polish is.

As a further feature, the upper and lower portions have registering curved forward edges I1 and I8, respectively, which are positioned to serve as coacting guides during trimming of the nail section Bl when the member is applied over the nail.

Of course, the masks may be made in various sizes to fit different sizes of finger nails, and these masks may be provided in sets to fit all of the fingers of an individual.

I claim:

1. In a finger nail polish mask; a flexible sleeve-like member adapted to be slipped over the tip of a finger nail; the lower portion of the member contacting with the under surface of the nail and having a concave rear edge adaptedto contact with the finger tip of the nail receiving the mask for stopping further telescoping movement of the sleeve-like member onto the finger nail; said lower portion conforming to the transverse curvature of the nail and having an outer curved edge spaced from the rear edge to give length to the sleeve-like member; the outer curved edge being usable as a guide line for cutting that portion of the nail tip projecting beyond the mask; the upper portion of the member snugly contacting with the upper surface of the nail and having a crescent-shaped rear edge adapted to contact with the nail for constituting a border line for the polish applied to the top of the nail; the upper portion having its inner surface conforming to the transverse curvature of the top of the nail and having an outer curved edge spaced from the crescent-shaped rear edge to give length to the sleeve-like member; the outer curved edge of the upper portion conforming to the outer curved edge of the lower portion so that both of the outer curved edges will constitute a guide line for cutting that portion of the nail tip projecting beyond the mask; and means interconnecting the sides of the upper and lower portions and constituting sides for the sleeve-like member; the transverse axis of the sleeve-like member substantially coinciding with the longitudinal curvature of the finger nail.

2. The combinations as set forth in claim 1; and in which the means interconnecting the sides of the upper and lower portions also constitute reinforcements which project laterally beyond the sides of the nail for ready gripping by a person when applying the mask to the nail and when removing it from the nail.

HENRY S. K. LUI.

Name Date Rose Oct. 21, 1924 Number 

